Valved catheter



Dec. 5, 1967 R. M.IMONAHON vALvED CATHETER Filed March 25, 1965 i IIHHHHHHHHHHHH ATTORNEY S United States Patent O 3,356,093 VALVED CATHETER Richard M. Monahon, Basking Ridge, NJ., assignor to Oel, Incorporated, Elizabeth, NJ., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 442,716 6 Claims. (Cl. 12S- 349) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A catheter which has an elongated drainage tube, an expandable chamber surrounding the drainage tube, and a second elongated tube communicating with the latter chamber for introducing fluid into and removing fluid from this chamber. A substantially rigid tubular means has opposed open ends one of which is fixed to and communicates with a free end of the second tube and the other of which is located beyond the free end of the second tube. A valve means is carried by the substantially rigid tubular means at its other end which is beyond the second tube for providing for fluid llow through the substantially rigid tubular means and the second tube into and out of the expandable chamber when this valve means is in an open position, while when the valve means is in a closed position it closes the rigid tubular means and the second tube. A tubular lluid guide is substantially coaxial with the rigid tubular means and has opposed open ends one of which is adjacent the valve means and the other of which is distant therefrom, so that when the tubular lluid guide is axially displaced toward and into engagement with the valve means it will place the latter in its open position while the valve means will assume its closed position when the tubular fluid guide is not displaced toward the valve means. A llexible diaphragm surrounds and is connected to the tubular lluid guide between its ends so that the tubular fluid guide has an outer elongated portion extending outwardly beyond the diaphragm away from the valve means to be freely accessible, and a connecting means is fixed to the outer periphery of the flexible diaphragm and serves to connect the latter to the rigid tubular means, this connecting means extending from the diaphragm in a direction opposite to the direction in which the outer exposed portion of the tubular guide extends from the diaphragm, As a result the outer exposed portion of the tubular guide is freely accessible to be displaced by the operator inwardly toward the valve means to open the latter and thus provide for discharge of lluid from the expandable chamber, while a supply means can also be placed in communication with the outer exposed portion of the tubular guide while displacing the latter inwardly against the valve means to open the latter and admit a fluid under pressure into the chamber so as to expand the chamber.

The present invention relates to valve assemblies.

More particularly, the present invention relates to valve assemblies which are adapted to be used with structures requiring a iluid under pressure to be delivered into and out of a given chamber.

For example, the present invention is particularly applicable to catheters adapted to be inserted into a human cavity for removing lluid therefrom, as is well known.

With such catheters, in order to retain the catheter in position in the cavity of the body, the tubular guide for the body lluid is surrounded by an expandable chamber into which a lluid under pressure can be supplied to expand the chamber beyond its normal size when empty, so that the expanded chamber will retain the catheter in the cavity of the body.

Particular problems are encountered in delivering fluid under pressure to and from the interior of such an expandable chamber of a catheter. It is conventional to provide a llexible tube which communicates only with this chamber, and this tube has at its outer end a valve structure which can cooperate with a syringe, for example, which may be used for introducing fluid under pressure into the expandable chamber as well as for withdrawing fluid therefrom. However, these conventional valve structures, particularly the type which are adapted to cooperate with syringes, are inconvenient to use and also relatively complex. Of course, with such structures it is necessary for the operator to properly align the syringe with the valve so as to cooperate therewith, and this very often involves piercing of a body with a syringe needle, which of course is a considerable inconvenience.

It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide valve assemblies which will greatly simplify structures of the above type.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide valve assemblies which are extremely convenient to use so that without any inconvenience whatsoever it is possible to provide a ilow of lluid under pressure to a suitable location or to permit the lluid under pressure to escape from the latter location. Thus, in the case of a catheter, the structure of the invention enables a fluid under pressure to be very conveniently and quickly supplied to the expandable chamber which maintains the catheter in position, while when the catheter is removed the structure of the invention permits the fluid under pressure to readily escape from the chamber so as to permit removal of the catheter.

Primarily the structure of the invention includes a rela tively rigid tubular means having opposed open ends one of which is adapted to be fixed to a tube such as the free end of a tube which communicates with an expansible chamber which surrounds the tube of a catheter. The other open end of the tubular means of the invention engages the outer periphery of a resilient stretchable valve member which has an inner valve portion surrounded by its outer periphery and which is formed between its inner valve portion and its outer periphery with at least one opening communicating with the interior of the tubular means. A valve seat means is carried by the tubular means and clamps the outer periphery of the valve member between itself and the tubular means at the other of the open ends thereof, and this valve-seat means provides a valve-seat which is engaged by the inner valve portion of the valve member for closing ott t-he interior of the tubular means.

In accordanceV with the invention a tubular Huid guide has its axis passing through the valve-seat and the valve portion of t-he valve member and has an open end located closely adjacent to the valve portion of the valve member so that when this particular guide is pushed against the Valve portion it will displace the latter away from the valve-seat to provide communication between the interior of the iluid guide and the interior of the tubular means through the opening in the valve member. According to a further feature of the invention a means connects this tubular lluid guide to the valve seat for axial movement between a position releasing said valve member for placing by its own resiliency its valve portion against the valve seat and a position displacing said valve portion away from said valve seat.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings which form part of the application and in which FIG. 1 shows the structure of the invention in combination with a conventional catheter; and FIG. 2

shows on an enlarged scale the valve assembly on the invention as well as the filling system of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown therein an elongated drainage tube 1 of a conventional catheter, this tube 1 having a closed rounded end 2 and being formed adjacent at the latter end with openings 3 through which fluids can have access to the interior of the drainage tube 1. The other end 4 of the tube 1 is open and is capable of being connected to a suitable conduit 5 through which the lluid is conveyed from the tube 1.

In order to retain the catheter in position in a body cavity, the tube 1 is surrounded by an expansible chamber 6 in the form of a rubber sleeve surrounding the tube 1 and communicating with a second tube 7 which communicates through a passage 8b and an opening Sa with the interior of the chamber 6 so that when fluid under pressure flows through the second tube 7 into the chamber 6 the latter will expand to increase its volume and thus retain the catheter in the body cavity, while upon release of the pressure the fluid will flow automatically out of the container or chamber 6 and the tube 7 to permit the charnber 6 to collapse and thus enable the catheter to be removed.

The structure of the present invention which cooperates with the tube 7 is shown most clearly in FIG. 2, although it is also indicated in FIG. 1 on a smaller scale.

Referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that a free end of the tube 7 is fixed to an elongated substantially tubular means 8 of the invention, this tubular means 8 being made of any suitable rigid plastic and having opposed open ends 9 and 10. The open end 9 of course communicates with the interior of the tube 7 and is fixed thereto by a clamping ring 11 which is made of any suitable medium density plastic.

The other open end of the elongated rigid tubular means 8 is engaged by a valve member 12 which is made of a resilient stretchable material such as rubber, and the valve member 12 has an inner substantially central valve portion 13 and an outer periphery 14 which directly engages an end of the tubular means 8. Between its outer periphery 14 and its inner valve portion 13 the valve 12 is formed with at least one opening 15 which of course communicates with the interior of the tubular means S.

A valve-seat means 16 of the invention is in the form of an aluminum ferrule which surrounds and is clamped to the tubular means 8 and which clamps the outer periphery 14 of the valve, member 12 between the valveseat means 16 and the tubular means 8. This valve-seat means 16 has `an inner tubular portion 17 which forms at its free end a valve-seat engaged by the valve portion 13, as is apparent from FIG. 2.

According to the invention there is also provided an elongated tubular fluid guide means 18 in the form of an elongated tubular member having opposed open ends one of which is located next to the valve portion 13 and formed with a cutout in the form of a notch 19. It will be noted that the aixs of the tubular fluid guide means 18 is aligned with and passes through the valve-seat 17 as well as through the valve portion 13, so that when the tubular fluid guide 18 is displaced upwardly, as viewed in FIG. 2, it will push the valve portion 13 away from the valve seat 17 so that through the opening 15 and the notch 19 the interior of the fluid guide 18 and the interior of the tubular means 8 as well as the tube 7 will be in communication with each other. Of course, when the tubular fluid guide 18 is in a -rest position the valve member 12 will, due to its own resiliency, press the valve portion 13 against the valve-seat 17 to close off the interior of the tubular means 8.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention a means connects the tubular guide 18, which is formed at its open end distant from the valve member 12 with a second notch 20 for a purpose described below, to the valve-seat means 16 for axial movement, and this means takes the form of a flexible polyethylene diaphragm 21 integral with and projecting from the tubular fluid guide 18 at a flexible diaphragm portion 22 of the diaphragm 21. This flexible diaphragm portion 22 is integral with an elongated outer tubular portion 23 which extends beyond the valve-seat 16 and surrounds the tubular means 8. This tubular extension 23 of the flexible polyethylene diaphragm 22 also surrounds and engages the clamping ring 11 and terminates at its open end in a bead 24 which snaps over an end of the clamping ring 11, the tubular means 8 itself having a bulging portion 25, so that when the parts are in the position shown in FIG. 2 they are securely assembled together.

When the structure is manufactured, the tubular means 8 together with the valve number 12 and the valve-seat means 16 are assembled together and form one unit, and they are shipped separately with the means 21 in the form of a flexible diaphragm and the tubular guide 18, which is of course integral with the diaphragm means 21 and is also formed of polyethylene. Also, the clamping ring 11 is separate, so that the assembly requires only placing the clamping ring 11 in its operative relation shown in FIG. 2 together with the tubular means 8 and the flexible diaphragm assembly 21 which of course includes the tubular fluid guide 13.

In order to lill a device such as an expandable chamber 6 connected to the tube 7 in a manner described above and shown in FIG. 1, theV invention provides a supply means 26 which includes a pressurized vessel 27 in the form of a container which is filled with a gas which is under considerable pressure. This container 27 has an open end 28 directed toward the tubular means 8, and a valve member 29 which may be identical with the valve member 12 extends across the open end 28 of the container 27. This valve member 29 has an outer periphery 30 engaging the end of the container 27, an inner valve portion 31, and an opening 32 formed in an intermediate portion of the valve 29 between the outer periphery 30 thereof and the inner valve portion 31.

A second valve-seat means 33 which may be identical with the valve-seat means 16 is fixed in the manner shown in FIG. 2 to the container 27 and provides a valve-seat 34 in the form of an elongated tubular extension engaged by the valve portion 31 so as to close the interior of the container 26.

It is to be noted that the tubular fluid guide 18 has a snug sliding lit not only with the interior of the tubular valve-seat 17 but also with the interior of the tubular valve-seat 34.

Thus, when the parts are in the position shown in FIG. 2 the operator need only advance the supply means 26 and the tubular means 8 toward each other so that both of the valve portions 13 and 31 will be displaced from their valve-seats, and thus the fluid under pressure in the container 27 can flow out of the latter and into the tube 7.

Of course, the supply means 26 is removed when the chamber 6 has been expanded sufficiently. In order to release fluid from the chamber 6 the operator is required only to push the member 18 inwardly against the valve portion 13 to displace the latter away from the valveseat 17, and the fluid under pressure will escape through the open end of the tubular guide 18 distant from the valve portion 13 or at least through the notch 20 thereof. Of course, at this time the pressurized supply means 26 is not used, so that with the structure of the invention in order to release the pressure from a location such as the chamber 6 all that is required is to displace the tubular fluid guide 18 to a position which opens the valve 13, 17.

What is claimed is:

1. A cathether comprising an elongated drainage tube, an expandable chamber surrounding said drainage tube, a second elongated tube communicating with said chamber for introducing fluid into said chamber and removing fluid therefrom, substantially rigid tubular means having opposed open ends one of which is fixed to and communicates with a free end of said second tube and the other of which is located beyond said free end of said second tube, substantially rigid valve-seat means fixed to said substantially rigid tubular means at said other end thereof and extending across said other end thereof to provide a valve seat at said other end of said substantially rigid tubular means, a flexible resilient valve member clamped between said substantially rigid tubular means and said valve-seat means and having a central valve portion engaging said valve-seat means to close said second tube, said valve member being formed beyond said central portion thereof with at least one opening passing therethrough so that when said valve member is displaced from said valve-seat the interior of said second tube and thus of said expandable chamber can communicate through said opening of said valve member and through said valve-seat with the space beyond said valve-seat means, Ian elongated tubular fluid guide substantially coaxial with said valve-seat, 4and having opposite open ends one of which is adjacent said cent-ral portion of said valve member, the outer diameter of said tubular fluid guide being small enough to permit the latter to pass through said valve-seat so that displacement of said fluid guide against said central portion of said valve member will displace said central portion of said valve member away from said valve-seat to permit fluid to escape from or enter into said second tube, and at least partly flexible means connecting said tubular fluid guide to said valveseat means for axial movement so that axial movement of said tubular fluid guide will displace said valve member toward or away from said valve-seat for opening or closing said second tube, said tubular guide being formed at its end which engages said valve member with a notch through which fluid can flow at said valve-seat into said tubular guide when the latter displaces said Valve member away from said valve seat, said flexible means which connects said tubular fluid guide to said valve-seat means being in the form of a flexible diaphragm carrying said tubular guide and fixed with said valve-seat means, said diaphragm being fixed to said tubular guide intermediate the ends of the latter land said tubular guide having an outer elongated exposed portion extending beyond said 'flexible diaphragm, and exposed beyond said second tube so as to be freely accessible, said flexible means for connecting said tubular fluid guide to said valve-seat means being situated in its entirety at a side of said diaphragm which extends from the l-atter in a direction opposite to the direction in which said outer exposed portion of said tubular guide extends from said diaphragm, whereby in order to release fluid from said expandable chamber it is only necessary to displace said tubular guide at said outer elongated exposed portion thereof inwardly toward said valve-seat means to displace said valve member away from said valve seat.

2. In a catheter as recited in claim 1 and a valve assembly wherein said flexible means includes at an outer periphery of said flexible diaphragm an outer tubular extension integral with said flexible diaphragm and extending therefrom to a location surrounding said free end of said second tube, said outer tubular extension of said flexible means engaging said valve-seat means and extending beyond the latter and surrounding said tubular means, and a clamping ring surrounded by said tubular extension of said flexible diaphragm and surrounding said tubular means for clamping said free end of said second tube between said tubular means and said ring.

3. In a catheter as recited in claim 1 and a valve assembly wherein said tubular fluid guide has distant from said valve member an open end formed with at least one cutout through which fluid oan enter into said tubular fluid guide.

4. A catheter comprising an elongated drainage tube, an expandable chamber surrounding said drainage tube, a second elongated tube communicating with said chamber for introducing fluid into said chamber and removing fluid therefrom, substantially rigid tubular means having opposed open ends one of which is xed to yand communicates with a free end of said second tube and the other of which is located beyond said free end of said second tube, valve means carried by said tubular means at said other end thereof and having an open position providing for fluid flow through said tubular means and said second tube into or out of said chamber and a closed position closing said second tube, an elongated tubular fluid guide substantially coaxial with said substantially rigid tubular means and having opposed open ends one of which is adjacent said valve means and the other of which is distant therefrom, said fluid guide being axially displaceable into engagement with said valve means for placing the latter in said open position thereof and away from said valve means releasing the latter for movement to said closed position thereof, a flexible diaphragm surrounding and fixed to said tubular fluid guide between said ends thereof and situated adjacent said other end of said substantially rigid tubular means, said tubular fluid guide having an outer elongated portion extending beyond said diaphragm away from said valve means and exposed beyond said diaphragm so as to be freely accessible, and means connected to an outer periphery of said diaphragm and extending from the latter in a direction opposed to the direction in which said outer exposed portion of said fluid guide extends from said diaphragm for fixing the latter at its outer periphery to said substantially rigid tubular means.

5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein said means for fixing said diaphragm to said substantially rigid tubular means includes a tubular extension in which said substantially rigid tubular means and said free end of said second tube are housed so that said tubular extension protects said substantially rigid tubular means, said valve means, said free end of said second tube, and that part of said fluid guide which extends between said diaphragm and said valve means.

6. The combination of claim 5 land wherein a clamping ring surrounds said free end of said second tube and clamps the latter to said substantially rigid tubular means, said clamping ring itself being surrounded by said tubular extension and being fixed at its outer periphery thereto, so that through said single clamping ring said second tube is fixed to said substantially rigid tubular means and said tubular extension is fixed to said substantially rigid tubular means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,087,492 4/1963 Garth 128-350 3,108,590 10/1963 Gorman 12S-225 X 3,131,733 5/1964 Monohon 141-349 3,242,928 3/1966 Peters 132-84 FOREIGN PATENTS 635,352 3/1962 Italy.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. DALTON L. TRULUCK, Examiner. 

1. A CATHETHER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED DRAINAGE TUBE, AN EXPANDABLE CHAMBER SURROUNDING SAID DRAINAGE TUBE, A SECOND ELONGATED TUBE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER FOR INTRODUCING FLUID INTO SAID CHAMBER AND REMOVING FLUID THEREFROM, SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID TUBULAR MEANS HAVING OPPOSED OPEN ENDS ONE OF WHICH IS FIXED TO AND COMMUNICATES WITH A FREE END OF SAID SECOND TUBE AND THE OTHER OF WHICH IS LOCATED BEYOND SAID FREE END OF SAID SECOND TUBE, SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID VALVE-SEAT MEANS FIXED TO SAID SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID TUBULAR MEANS AT SAID OTHER END THEREOF AND EXTENDING ACROSS SAID OTHER END THEREOF TO PROVIDE A VALVE SEAT AT SAID OTHER END OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID TUBULAR MEANS, A FLEXIBLE RESILIENT VALVE MEMBER CLAMPED BETWEEN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID TUBULAR MEANS AND SAID VALVE-SEAT MEANS AND HAVING A CENTRAL VALVE PORTION ENGAGING SAID VALVE-SEAT MEANS TO CLOSE SAID SECOND TUBE, SAID VALVE MEMBER BEING FORMED BEYOND SAID CENTRAL PORTION THEREOF WITH AT LEAST ONE OPENING PASSING THERETHROUGH SO THAT WHEN SAID VALVE MEMBER IS DISPLACED FROM SAID VALVE-SEAT THE INTERIOR OF SAID SECOND TUBE AND THUS OF SAID EXPANDABLE CHAMBER CAN COMMUNICATE THROUGH SAID OPENING OF SAID VALVE MEMBER AND THROUGH SAID VALVE-SEAT WITH THE SPACE BEYOND SAID VALVE-SEAT MEANS, AN ELONGATED TUBULAR FLUID GUIDE SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIAL WITH SAID VALVE-SEAT, AND HAVING OPPOSITE OPEN ENDS ONE OF WHICH IS ADJACENT SAID CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID VALVE MEMBER, THE OTHER DIAMETER OF SAID TUBULAR FLUID GUIDE BEING SMALL ENOUGH TO PERMIT THE LATTER TO PASS THROUGH SAID VALVE-SEAT SO THAT DISPLACEMENT OF SAID FLUID GUIDE AGAINST SAID CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID VALVE MEMBER WILL DISPLACE SAID CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID VALVE MEMBER AWAY FROM SAID VALVE-SEAT TO PERMIT FLUID TO ESCAPE FROM OR ENTER INTO SAID SECOND TUBE, AND AT LEAST PARTLY FLEXIBLE MEANS CONNECTING SAID TUBULAR FLUID GUIDE TO SAID VALVESEAT MEANS FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT SO THAT AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID TUBULAR FLUID GUIDE WILL DISPLACE SAID VALVE MEMBER TOWARD OR AWAY FROM SAID VALVE-SEAT FOR OPENING OR CLOSING SAID SECOND TUBE, SAID TUBULAR GUIDE BEING FORMED AT ITS END WHICH ENGAGES SAID VALVE MEMBER WITH A NOTCH THROUGH WHICH FLUID CAN FLOW AT SAID VALVE-SEAT INTO SAID TUBULAR GUIDE WHEN THE LATTER DISPLACES SAID VALVE MEMBER AWAY FROM SAID VALVE SEAT, SAID FLEXIBLE MEANS WHICH CONNECTS SAID TUBULAR FLUID GUIDE TO SAID VALVE-SEAT MEANS BEING IN THE FORM OF A FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM CARRYING SAID TUBULAR GUIDE AND FIXED WITH SAID VALVE-SEAT MEANS, SAID DIAPHRAGM BEING FIXED TO SAID TUBULAR GUIDE INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE LATTER AND SAID TUBULAR GUIDE HAVING AN OUTER ELONGATED EXPOSED PORTION EXTENDING BEYOND SAID FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM, AND EXPOSED BEYOND SAID SECOND TUBE SO AS TO BE FREELY ACCESSIBLE, SAID FLEXIBLE MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID TUBULAR FLUID GUIDE TO SAID VALVE-SEAT MEANS BEING SITUATED IN ITS ENTIRELY AT A SIDE OF SAID DIAPHRAGM WHICH EXTENDS FROM THE LATTER IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION IN WHICH SAID OUTER EXPOSED PORTION OF SAID TUBULAR GUIDE EXTENDS FROM SAID DIAPHRAGM, WHEREBY IN ORDER TO RELEASE FLUID FROM SAID EXPANDABLE CHAMBER IT IS ONLY NECESSARY TO DISPLACE SAID TUBULAR GUIDE AT SAID OUTER ELONGATED EXPOSED PORTION THEREOF INWARDLY TOWARD SAID VALVE-SEAT MEANS TO DISPLACE SAID VALVE MEMBER AWAY FROM SAID VALVE SEAT. 